FREE! In The Arms of My Enemy (Completed!) Book 1

Lecherous Le Coquin

Fidelia screamed and spun around, her skirts whirling and slap­ping the legs of the man who had sneaked up on her. He must have come from the valet's entrance.

She froze, looking at the face of a man she'd crossed an ocean to escape. Monsieur Le Coquin. She ducked her head quickly, praying that the moon behind her was casting her face in shadows. "Beggin' your pardon, sir!" Fidelia said, once more imitating Sally's accent as she tried to dart around him.

Le Coquin grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. "I have not seen you before."

Her heart pounded, and she slowly reached under her apron, search­ing for her father's gun. "I-I'm new."

"Ah," Le Coquin purred and then touched her neck lightly. The hair on her arms stood straight up, and she fought the urge to claw his eyes out. "I look forward to becoming acquainted with you."

"Mrs. Rowles is expecting me, sir," Fidelia said, hoping she sounded innocent enough. What she really wanted to do was shout every un­savory word she knew and, for good measure, discharge her weapon into the vicinity below his belt.

"It would be a shame to get you into trouble so early on." He chuck­led, his hand tracing from her neck to her jaw. He tried to tilt her face up, but she pulled away sharply. His grin was as greasy as his thin comb-over. "Until next time, ma cherie."

Fidelia wrenched her arm from his grasp and fled the room, pray­ing he wouldn't follow. She needed to get Lottie to safety immediately but might already be too late.

***
"Ouch!" Miss Thorpe squawked as William stepped on her foot—for the third time.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Thorpe," he said, struggling to focus on his dance partner. But the task was impossible when his alluring wife was somewhere in the building, potentially in danger. "I was distracted."

She giggled. "Oh, what a scandalous thing to say!"

Good heavens, had she thought he meant that he was distracted by her? He fought the urge to roll his eyes. After he had regained his composure from the argument with Fidelia, he had left the side room, intent on following her upstairs to help her search. But Miss Thorpe had found him, and he knew she would only be suspicious if he tried to escape again.

The dance ended. William quickly led his partner from the floor, casually looking around for a flash of Fidelia's hair. He needed to know if she'd found any information. He needed to hold her and ensure that she was all right.

The ball drew to a close, and the guests began to file outside of the grand house into the cold and their awaiting carriages.

"I am quite exhausted, William," Miss Thorpe said with an exag­gerated yawn. "I do wish Mr. Thynne had included us on his list of guests invited to stay the night."

"Your father is hosting his own house party at Ellingham Hall, Miss Thorpe. It would have been improper for Mr. Thynne to invite us since we were previously engaged," William said, wincing at the knowledge that he would be trapped three hours to the south of Bamburgh for a whole week at the Thorpes' estate.

Mr. Thorpe had invited William's family to join them for a small house party. The countess, eager for any opportunity to push William and Miss Thorpe together, had accepted on William's behalf without telling him until it was too late for him to make an excuse. William's and Miss Thorpe's matchmaking parents were a combined force as deadly and unstoppable as a hurricane.

Miss Thorpe babbled on about her grand estate as he led her out­side. William lingered for a glimpse of Fidelia until he and Miss Thorpe were the only guests remaining. Miss Thorpe shivered in the freezing night beside him, but he felt too warm in his coat, and worry about Fidelia was making him fidget.

As their carriage pulled up, something small and hard struck the back of his head and fell into a patch of snow behind him. He stooped to pick it up, rubbing the back of his head in confusion. A pebble? He looked around and caught his breath when he saw a flash of red hair vanishing around the side of the building.

"Would you excuse me, Miss Thorpe? I've forgotten something." He pulled away from her grasp, ignoring her protests, and strode quickly around the building.

Fidelia huddled in the shadows, glancing around furtively.

"Fidelia." William grabbed her hand and pulled her into his em­brace before she could protest. She melted against him, but only for a moment. She pulled away and gripped his coat lapels, pulling his face toward her urgently.

For an instant, he thought she was going to kiss him, but her eyes were burning with desperation as she said, "William, you must go to the cottage and get Lottie out of Northumberland. Take her as far away as possible—"

"Calm down," William said, shaking his head as he tried to deci­pher her rush of words. "What's happened? Did you learn anything about when the invasion is coming?"

"No, but Lottie's in danger! Please, just take her with you—"

"I can't." William put up his hands in dismay. "I am riding in Miss Thorpe's carriage to Ellingham Hall. If she sees Lottie, it will be the talk of society by morning. If the French are coming, it wouldn't be hard for them to learn of Lottie's location after all that gossip, and they would find a way to deliver her to Le Coquin in America."

"You don't understand! He's already—"

"William?" Miss Thorpe's voice from around the corner made William grind his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to tell the woman to leave so he could kiss his wife in peace, but he had a cover to maintain.

"Coming!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Fidelia's grip on his coat tightened. "William, please. It's him. He's here!"

William shook his head, distracted by the sound of Miss Thorpe's footsteps drawing closer. They'd be discovered! "Write to me at Ellingham Hall. Tell me the matter, and I will see what I can do."

"No—!"

William pulled her to him and kissed her forehead before spinning around. He met Miss Thorpe at the corner of the house, blocking her view when she tried to peer around him.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked suspiciously.

"A manservant had a message from Mr. Thynne."

"I thought you said you'd forgotten something?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Ah"—William cleared his throat— "yes, I had forgotten that Mr. Thynne wished to tell me something. All is well. Come, Miss Thorpe. The hour is late." He pulled her to the waiting carriage and the faith­ful chaperone who had accompanied them. Miss Thorpe narrowed her eyes, but he herded her into the carriage before she could protest. He glanced over his shoulder as he stepped up after her and caught a glimpse of Fidelia watching him from the shadows.

***

Hey Guys!!  Le Coquin is here! Gah! What do you guys think of him as a character? I'd love to hear what you think!

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